


Standing Down

by NoScrubs12345



Series: tis the season [20]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-27
Updated: 2014-02-27
Packaged: 2018-01-14 00:17:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1245628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoScrubs12345/pseuds/NoScrubs12345
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Christmas Eve case becomes too close for comfort for Ianto.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Standing Down

**Author's Note:**

> For [awdt](http://awdt.livejournal.com/)'s 2008 Christmas advent challenge. Day twenty-one: " _the stockings were hung by the chimney with care_."

The cottage was cosy and quaint, just shy of being too small and cramped. The windows rattled slightly as the wind blew, but the fire roaring in the hearth shed warmth and light over the tiny sitting room. It was decorated for Christmas--a slightly crooked tree with humble decorations sat in one corner and there were brightly coloured stockings lovingly hung by the chimney. The smell of fresh baked gingerbread men wafted from the kitchen, doing little to mask the coppery tang of blood in the air.

Ianto bit his bottom lip as he looked around the room and willed the bile not to rise. The cottage could have been the perfect place to spend Christmas, as warm and welcoming as it was picturesque in its beauty. It would have been perfect if not for the body of an elderly woman half hidden by an overstuffed chair and the remains of a Hoix lying lifeless by the fire.

He coughed and took a step back towards the door, turning his head away from the gore. He tried to take a deep breath to calm himself, only to dry heave once he had turned away.

Strong arms wrapped around him almost immediately, the spicy scent of Jack's pheromones filling his nose as he pulled him close. He sighed as Jack kissed his hair and rubbed his back reassuringly.

“Gwen and I can handle it,” Jack whispered, lips pressed against Ianto’s ear.

“It’s Christmas Eve, Jack,” Ianto said, voice rough as his hands wrapped around Jack’s braces. “She should be with her family by now. It’s not fair.”

“I know. Shit happens, no matter what day it is,” Jack said and tucked Ianto’s head under his chin as he started to gently rock them back and forth. “You’re taking this hard.”

Ianto took a deep breath, breathing in Jack’s scent. “It’s just...my nan had a place like this. We did Christmas there until she went to Providence Park. This is just a bit...well, it’s a little too close for comfort.”

Jack smiled sadly as he cupped Ianto’s cheek. “Why don’t you get started on a cover story? Gwen and I can get the Hoix out of here in no time and we’ll let the police deal with the rest.”

Ianto glanced back at the alien, shuddering when his eyes passed over the woman’s body. “It’s too big for Gwen to carry.”

“We’ll manage,” Jack said and pressed a kiss to Ianto’s cheek. “It’s your choice, Ianto. You can stand down and no one’ll think any less of you.”

Ianto sighed and looked down at his feet. “I’ve seen worse. It shouldn’t be this hard, Jack.”

“Yes, it should,” Jack said, staring at the buttons on Ianto’s waistcoat instead of meeting his eyes. “It means that you’re still human, that you still feel something. That this job hasn’t got to you completely yet.”

Ianto reached out to straighten the collar on Jack’s shirt, letting his knuckles press against the skin of his neck and brush over his pulse point. He smiled as Jack sighed and took a step back. “You go work on that cover story, I’ll see that the Hoix is taken care of and then we’re going home where there’s a hot shower and a nice big bed.”

“You’ll do anything to get me into bed faster, won’t you, sir?” Ianto asked, the attempted sarcasm falling flat as Gwen walked into the cottage and gasped.

“Well, you know me,” Jack tried to laugh, but it turned into another sigh as he rubbed Ianto’s forearms comfortingly. “Give her a nicer death?”

Ianto smiled tightly and nodded. He let Jack pull him close for another hug and held him tightly for a moment before pulling back.

“Are you going to be all right?” Jack asked, resting his forehead against Ianto’s.

“Yeah,” Ianto sighed, chastely kissing Jack before stepping back. He cleared his throat. “I’ll just be outside if you need me.”

He waited for Jack’s nod before starting outside, barely noticing Gwen’s pat to his shoulder as he brushed past her. Outside, the cold wind cut through him like a knife and he pulled his coat tighter against it as he jogged towards the SUV. It wasn’t until he was safely tucked inside it, door closed against the cold and starting on the cover story, did he feel Jack’s gaze leave him.


End file.
